


Saviors and Seashells

by ineedhelpwithmylifern



Category: The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb)
Genre: Harry's the merman, M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:47:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23963341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedhelpwithmylifern/pseuds/ineedhelpwithmylifern
Summary: Peter keeps a shell in his pocket, a reminder of a merman that saved him when he was a child.Losing it brings him that very merman.
Relationships: Harry Osborn/Peter Parker
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Saviors and Seashells

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty! This somehow took me over 6 months to write and it's only like 2k words ajdbxjx
> 
> I wanted to get something out on the first day of Mermay but now it's the second and now I'm getting it out now!
> 
> Anyway I'm still not over tasm2

Many sailors, if asked, would speak of unimaginable tales of creatures that had the torso and head of a human and the tail of a fish. Some would even try to tell you that they had seen one.

If you wandered down to the docks at night, those who were still awake would likely tell you of their experiences. The quiet of the night could attract the creatures, they said. Maybe talking about them would make the creatures come closer, they said.

Peter Parker believed they were real too.

Now, he didn't believe because of those old tales, no. He saw one. It wasn't something small like a fin or a glimpse. He had been saved by one.

It had been years ago. He had waded too far out into the water and had been carried out and under by the tide. The merman (merchild? merboy?) was young, he looked about the same age as Peter at the time. They had grabbed Peter by the arm and brought him back to shore.

At the time, Peter had been thoroughly confused, but he had tried his best to keep same for the merman. The other only slightly smiled and threw him a seashell before disappearing within the water once more.

Peter always carried the seashell with him.

But that was years ago. He was not going to follow in his parents' footsteps and search for these creatures his whole life. That was too much. Peter just enjoyed coming down to the beach on his off time and then talking to the few sailors that would be there.

He still wondered if he should try to live a life on the sea, he did love it. But he feared he would end up leaving so much behind. The least he could do is continue to live by the ocean.

The morning began to fade into day as he jogged down the cliff-side steps; it was finally a weekend and he was free to do as he pleased. And that meant the beach.

A seagull was squawking as he dove into the water, having dropped his bags back on the sand. He swam a bit before sitting in the water, the tide rising and falling. The trill of a theme came from the beach, and it took Peter a moment to realize that it was his phone.

He returned to his bags, drying off enough before he picked up his phone to answer it. It was Gwen, a girl who was basically- and was one of his best friends. They had dated for a few months back in High School, but it never really worked out for them. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey Peter, you free tonight?"

"Yeah," He hummed, putting his free hand in his pocket.

"Dinner tonight?" She asked over the side of the line, "I know I've been busy, but I'm free. MJ can already come."

"Sure! Sounds great!" He laughed, realizing something was wrong.

She laughed as well, and he could tell she was smiling. "See you tonight."

"Bye," he hung up, freezing as he realizing what he was missing. "Shit."

The shell was gone.

Peter had held this shell for so long, it's weight had become something regular in his pocket. It always reminded him of the ocean, even if he was far away. It also served as a memory for that merman.

But now it was gone, and he didn't know what happened to it.

He searched his bags, maybe he left it in there, maybe he just didn't know. Maybe- but it wasn't. He had to have dropped it in the ocean. He had to have-

Something hard hit the back of his head. "Ow," He whined, turning back to look at what hit him. The shell?

"Dumbass!" Someone called, and he looked back to see someone's head poking out from the water.

"What was that for?" And how did you get my shell?

Peter picked up the shell and whirled around to face the person.

"Dumbass!" They shouted again, only moving their mouth far out enough of the water to be able to shout.

"What?"

"Dumbass!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Peter stalked closer to the water. The person shrunk back. "Hey, c'mon, what are you doing?!"

The person mumbled something, looking a little downcast.

"What?"

"Lost shell. Me- I- gave to you." They spoke, looking incredibly sheepish. "No lose it. Yours."

"The shell?"

They nodded quickly. Then glared at him. "Why lose?"

"It was an accident?"

"Accident?"

"I didn't mean to."

"Dumbass." They murmured, and Peter attempted to give it to them. "No! Yours!"

Peter hummed, putting the shell back in his pocket. "Stop calling me dumbass."

They narrowed their eyes. They took a hand out of the water to point at him. "Dumbass."

"No. I'm Peter. Not Dumbass."

"Peter Dumbass." A grin.

"No," Peter groaned, "What's your name?" They tilted their head as if confused. "Your name, what I call you. Like you call me Dumbass?"

They pointed at Peter again, "Dumbass," And then themself. "Harry."

"Harry?"

"Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry." Peter held his hand out, waiting for them to shake it. When Harry stared quizzically at it, he withdrew it. "I should be going now, thanks for the shell-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

Harry glared at him with bright blue eyes, "Stay."

"I have to go."

"Stay."

"Why?"

"Because!" Harry complained, something splashing behind him. "Stay."

"Okay, you're kinda freaking me out," Peter stood and began to turn away, "And I have to go. Thank you for finding my shell for me."

His leg was grabbed, and he was dragged into the water.

After a few moments, Peter managed to get whatever was dragging him off of his leg. He swam back up to the surface, sputtering. He whirled around to see how far he was taken, he was a good ways away from shore- not so far that he couldn't see it, but far enough that he probably wouldn't be able to swim back too quickly.

"Dumbass." Someone spoke from behind him, and sure enough, it was Harry.

Peter glared at him. "Did you just drag me out here?" Silence. "What was the point of that?"

Harry only looked at him quizzically.

"How did you do that?" Peter slowly asked, realizing that this was probably really hard to do, and pretty close to impossible to pull him this far out that quickly.

Harry beamed, disappearing underwater for a moment before leaping up and out of it, splashing Peter's face with salt water. He couldn't even be mad at the moment, because whoever this was wasn't human. Harry reappeared, looking very proud of himself. "Tail!"

"I can see that," Peter muttered, "Can you take me back to shore?"

A slow nod, then Harry's hand lifted out of the water, pointing toward the sand.

"Yes."

Peter was pulled under once more.

He pulled himself onto the sand, laying face down. Harry flopped down beside him, looking very confused.

"Y'know you didn't need to pull me underwater to take me back, right?" Peter shifted his gaze to the other beside him. "You didn't need to drag me into the water in the first place."

"Needed to stay." Harry hummed, staring at Peter.

"Because?" No answer once more. Peter pushed himself up, finally getting a good look at Harry that wasn't just his head. "Holy shit."

Harry attempted to sit the way Peter was, and it took several tries for him to keep balanced. "Shit?"

"You're a mermaid. Merman. Whatever. I'm not crazy. Also, don't say that."

"Okay, Dumbass."

"That's not my name." Peter groaned, putting his face in the sand.

There was another splash and everything went silent. Peter got up and looked around, seeing that no one was there. Harry had left.

"Alright then."

* * *

"So what do you mean by merman?" Gwen hummed, standing on the dock, the heels of her shoes digging into the rotting wood. "I know your story about the savior mermaid from when we were like, five, but-"

"See this shell?" Peter put it in front of her face, waiting for her reaction.

"Yes. It's the shell you've been carrying around for fifteen years, what does this have to do with anything?" She crossed her arms, staring at him.

Peter grinned, "Watch this." He held the shell in his hand for a moment longer before chucking it out into the ocean.

Gwen gave him a look, "We skipped dinner just so you could throw a shell into the ocean?!"

"No, just wait," Peter hummed, watching the water.

"We cancelled on MJ for this," Gwen grumbled, "Some crazy delusion."

Peter stood for a moment longer, humming. "Just wait, Gwen. You have to be patient."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't know why-"

"Dumbass!" Came a shout from the water, and up came the shell, directed straight at Peter's face. 

It hit him, then clattered to the boardwalk.

Gwen looked surprised as she picked up the shell. She looked at the person in the water, who looked annoyed, and then at Peter, who looked ecstatic.

"Harry!" Peter laughed, "Nice to see you again, buddy!"

"Dumbass. Keep shell," Harry replied, glaring. His eyes shifted over to Gwen, and he spoke. "New."

"Yeah, she's just here to see you," Peter laughed, "And my name still isn't dumbass."

Harry pulled himself up onto the dock, his tail mostly still in the water. "Yes. Dumbass. Gwen?"

"He knows my name?" 

"Yet he still doesn't know mine," Peter scoffed. 

Harry watched the two of them quietly, hitting the water with his tail. "Dumbass. Your shell, no throwing it."

"Just wanted to see you, Har," Peter smiled, picking the shell up off the dock.

"No throwing it," Harry repeated, glaring. 

"So," Gwen began, "You throw your shell to call to him?"

"Yeah! Well, kinda? I was just hoping that it worked, and here he is!" Peter was smiling, shoving the shell in his pocket again.

She rolled her eyes, "Is it too late for dinner?"

* * *

Peter sat at the dock, switching between his textbook and his homework, an assignment that was most likely due the next day- he wasn't the best with deadlines, considering Spider-Man and everything...

Scratching down another answer, he noticed something came out of the water beside him. "Hey, Har."

"Dumbass," Harry hummed, "What are you doing?"

"School," He replied, making eye contact with Harry, who looked off to the side as he leaned on the dock.

"School? What's this?" Harry spoke, pointing to his pencil.

"A pencil-" Before Peter could finish his thought, Harry had stolen it. "Come on. Can you give it back?"

"School."

"Yes. School. Now give it back," Peter shook his head, "I need it."

"It's mine now!" Harry laughed, holding it up in the air. 

"Har," He spoke, but in seconds Harry was gone and had swam away.

With the pencil.

He wouldn't be surprised if it never came back.

* * *

Peter was in the middle of class when his phone rang. The teacher glared at him, and he could only shoot an apologetic glance back as he muted it, not looking at the caller ID.

The ringtone was one that he only used for a few select people, mainly only May and Gwen, and the two of them knew not to call at this time unless it was important. So, Peter was undeniably curious.

The moment class ended, he pulled out his phone to see that it was Gwen. He quickly called her back, wondering why.

"Hey," He spoke, beginning his trek back to his apartment.

"Hey, dumbass," She began, "Question. Are you on your way home at the moment or are you doing something else today?"

"Are you becoming Harry or something, that's not my name," He sighed, knowing it was a joke. "I'm on my way back, why-"

"Alright, just letting you know I let myself in. I brought a friend along that you'd probably want to say hi to."

"What-"

Gwen hung up.

Peter shook his head, wondering what exactly she wanted and why she broke into his apartment, even though she had a key, but who was her friend? A police car whipped by and he groaned.

Gwen could wait ten minutes.

* * *

Gwen ended up waiting way more than ten minutes. He unlocked the door to his apartment more than a few hours after classes and stepped in. His TV was on, channels being flipped through.

Gwen was on the floor, remote in hand. She turned when she heard him coming and sighed. "Finally, thought you would never come." Peter didn't want to think about how the sun was getting dangerously low in the sky.

"Why are you on the floor?" He asked, "I have a couch-"

"You didn't see your friend on the couch?"

Peter gave her a look and then peered over to his couch.

Harry was fast asleep and human.

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr over at nalanoola!!!


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